Should election results be required by the night of election day?

Context

Election result reporting timelines have become increasingly contentious as mail-in voting expands, making it harder to count all ballots by election night. Some argue results should be finalized by midnight to maintain public confidence and prevent misinformation, while others contend that accuracy matters more than speed, particularly in close races where provisional and mail ballots can take days to process. The 2026 California primary highlighted this tension, with some counties unable to report complete results for several days after voting ended.